Crystal Skulls: Tools for Expanding Consciousness

The interest in crystal skulls is growing exponentially. An increasing number of people work with them, study them, and meditate with them while others look at these skulls with fear and even disgust. Because the number of articles, books and documentaries on the subject of crystal skulls is increasing, many people begin to wonder what these crystal skulls really are. This article gives an overview of the most important aspects of crystal skulls to help you understand why crystal skulls gain so much interest. This article is meant to help you shift your energy from fear to curiosity or from curious to increased interest. This may invite you to begin to explore these interesting objects.

The crystal skull collection of the Author and his wife Jeanne Michaels

History of crystal skulls The most common questions people ask about crystal skulls are: “what are they?” and “where do they come from; what is their story”? Before we go deeper into what crystal skulls are let us look first at the second question. The origin of crystal skulls is not really known. There are many speculations of which some go as far as saying that their origins are from the lost continent of Atlantis. Crystal skulls are known by tribal people in many parts of the world. They are known most commonly in Central America, especially by the Mayan people. However, crystal skulls also are known in South and North America, the Pacific Southwest, Africa, Nepal and Tibet. It is safe to say that crystal skulls may have been known, and to some degree still are known, throughout the world. Indigenous people are not always forthcoming with information, especially after learning about the greed of Western modern people. They are afraid that their sacred crystal skulls may be stolen and therefore many are still kept hidden. Hopefully they will emerge in the near future. Crystal skulls began to appear in modern human awareness in the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. That is the time that the British Museum and the Paris Museum acquired their crystal skulls. According to the stories, the most famous of all crystal skulls, The Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, was found in Belize in 1924. There are many controversies around the story of the discovery of Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull in the ruins of Lubaantum. However, stories do not change the fact that this is a crystal skull of great workmanship and beauty. It has mesmerized many people and has greatly contributed to the interest in crystal skulls. In the twentieth century more crystal skulls that have been generally accepted as being ancient have appeared. These skulls include Max, Sha Na Ra, Synergy, Einstein, ET and Ixchel. Most of the caretakers of these crystal skulls travel with them around the world to allow people to connect with them. All these crystal skulls are about human sized (with exception of Einstein which is with almost 15 kg the largest of the known ancient crystal skulls) and are made of quartz. Initially only crystal skulls that were considered ancient or old were available but that changed about 20 to 25 years ago. At that time the first contemporary crystal skulls started to appear. Their numbers increased rapidly and now each year many thousands flood the market to find their way to eager buyers. So what makes crystal skulls so interesting?

Crystal skulls are metaphysical objects It is claimed that crystal skulls are ancient artifacts. Therefore it seems logical that Archeology would have a great interest in them, especially because the first of these crystal skulls appeared in two prestigious museums. In 1992 the Smithsonian museum also received a crystal skull, which was larger than human size and hollow. That started a researcher of that museum, Jane Walsh, on a journey to see whether crystal skulls are ancient artifacts, meaning coming from pre-Columbian times. In 1996 in collaboration with the British Museum she did an investigation that was part of a BBC documentary. They came to the conclusion that all three museum crystal skulls were modern objects and not ancient skulls. One other skull that was included was defined as ancient (meaning pre-Columbian) and two skulls, Max and Sha Na Ra, were researched but the researchers did not want to make a comment about them. Because the scientific team defined one skull as ancient, the current scientific point of view that all crystal skulls are modern “fakes” is incorrect and unscientific. The current scientific view has not dampened the interest in crystal skulls; in the contrary. More people are intrigued by the shape of the skull and shift their focus from crystals to crystal skulls. Crystals have been used for healing and meditation for eons of time. However, those familiar with energies of crystals will share that the energies of crystal skulls are even more powerful. The shape of the crystal skulls seems to work as a symbol that triggers collective memories. Our skull contains our brains and brains are the place where information is processed. The shape of a skull is a reminder that these crystal skulls contain information that need to be processed. This idea ties into the legend that states that crystal skulls are a kind of computer in which the ancestors stored information that we would access at the appropriate time.

The Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull

This information will help mankind to make a shift in consciousness. The idea of a shift in consciousness is also a belief that is held by many people who are on their spiritual path. They believe that we live in a time of change and expansion of conscious. This makes it understandable why the interest in crystal skulls is growing. If crystal skulls contain information the question arises: how do we access this information? The answer can be found within the crystal skulls themselves. Not only do crystal skulls interest people because of the information that is stored. When you connect with them they stimulate your being, your consciousness to awaken to its natural and full state of being.

Characteristics of Crystal skulls Crystal skulls have a number of characteristics that make them special tools to awaken us and to expand our consciousness. Connecting with crystal skulls during meditation or ceremony helps us to change and transform. The main characteristics of crystal skulls are reflection and amplification. They function as a very clear and strong mirror to help us see where we are on out path. Seeing where we are and what thoughts and emotions we have, gives us the opportunity to make changes. The process in itself is amplified as well, which makes it possible to change even faster. Amplification has a challenging aspect as well. Crystal skulls have no “judgment” about the quality of energy that they amplify. They amplify everything. That means that our less beautiful qualities will also be amplified. Consequently we see quite some ego issues in the crystal skull world. Therefore it is important to always first connect with your heart and with love before you start working or meditating with your crystal skull. Crystals, especially quartz can store large amounts of information. It is believed that the ancient people used crystal skulls to store information that is important for the development and growth of human beings. Therefore they carved the crystals in the shape of a crystal skull to tell us that this crystal contains information that needs to be processed. The processing happens in the brain which is located in the skull, hence the shape. Besides being reflectors, amplifiers and information storage devices, crystal skulls also help us to attune to energies and consciousness, they are transmitters, they refract energies, they help us to focus, they help us to transform and they help to stimulate the functioning of our brain. They help us in so many ways that the growing interest in crystal skulls may no longer come as a surprise.

Jaap with Einstein, the largest known ancient skull, and Sam. Photo: Carolyn Ford, www.einsteinthecrystalskull.com.

The energies of crystal skulls When people work with crystal skulls they talk about “powerful energies”. Such a statement is subjective based on what a person experiences. When more people say the same thing we know that there may be a certain truth to such a statement. However, it does not mean that we know what that means. Over time the subjective expressions has lead to a deeper understanding of the energies of crystal skulls. We have learned that through actively working with them their potential awakens. In this process of awakening crystal skulls they are experienced as increasingly powerful. People experience that crystal skulls of a particular size give them stronger and more types of experiences than crystals of the same material and size. Through sharing and developing our sensitivity for energies we learn about the energies of crystal skulls. Their power amazes those who work with them and we know that we are not yet able to understand them fully. However, we do know that they are powerful tools to work with when we are interested in expanding our consciousness.

Expanding consciousness The fact that the ancient people gave crystal skulls the shape of a human skull is an indication that these crystal skulls were made for us. We still can not really access the information in ancient crystal skulls other than by bits and pieces. According to legends the ancient crystal skulls contain the blueprint for the human being we are supposed to be: a fully realized human being. When we awaken the potential of the crystal skulls we actually awaken the potential of ourselves. Is the secret of the crystal skulls in the information or is the secret in the invitation to awaken a energetic potential that helps us to develop our personal potential and expand our

Ixchel, a Mayan crystal skull

consciousness? Given the fact that crystal skulls grow so much in popularity it seems that many people feel called to explore the possibilities crystal skulls offer. Who would not like to use such a wonderful tool on your spiritual journey?

HOW TO WORK WITH CRYSTAL SKULLS Some basic guide lines A crystal skull is a powerful tool. Therefore it is important to work with it in an appropriate way. Within the context of this article only some basic suggestions can be given. More details can be found in Crystal Skulls; Expand your Consciousness from the author of this article. Preparing your crystal skull Many people believe that when they buy a crystal skull they need to clear it before they can use it. Besides physical cleaning the dust and grease due to handling and transportation, other clearing is basically not needed. In the rare case that a crystal skull has energetic pollution it requires training to clear such pollution. However, the likelihood that you will encounter such a crystal skull is basically zero.Connecting with your crystal skull Some people like to create a special environment before working with a crystal skull. They select a special place in- or outside, light a candle and/or burn incense, or play music. Although this is helpful it is not a requirement. What is important is that you always work with crystal skulls while connected with your heart and with love. Connecting in this way ensures that you will work for the highest good of yourself and that of others. A connection from the heart makes it more likely that you will connect with higher vibrations and energies.Activation To awaken the full potential of your crystal skull you need to activate your crystal skull. This will happen when you connect with your crystal skull with a clear intent and with an open heart. In this way you increasingly will become one with your crystal skull. This deep connection will activate the potential of your crystal skull at a level that is in alignment with your vibrational state of that moment. The crystal skull will amplify these energies and that in turn will help you to expand more and consequently you will be able to activate the potential of your crystal skull even more. In this way you and your crystal skull will continuously expand and awaken further. In your work with crystal skulls this is the most important process.Working with your crystal skull Once you have activated your crystal skull it becomes a tool that can be used in many ways. It is important to realize that crystal skulls are powerful amplifiers and as mentioned earlier, it is important to work with your crystal skulls always with an open heart. Most people will use their crystal skull for meditation. Crystal skulls will deepen your meditation and the focus on the crystal skull will make it easier to stay focused during your meditation. Meditation will stimulate your spiritual development, but it will also improve your health and well-being. It will stimulate your brain and improves the quality of your life.